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Germany

The (Bad) Luck of the Irish

29 November 2010

In recent years, the Irish have touted their low tax rates and other breaks as a lure for artists, musicians and corporations and have enjoyed a measure of success in attracting some pretty big players. Companies like Apple, Microsoft, Pfizer, Dell and Wyeth have flocked to the Emerald Isle to avoid paying higher tax rates [...]

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World Cup Equals Victory for Germany’s Finances

21 August 2010

Germany may not have taken home the World Cup – but plenty of cups boosted revenues last month. The Finance Ministry of Germany is reporting that the country’s beer tax in July yielded revenues of a nearly 10% increase over the same time period last year. How much are we talking? The tax for July [...]

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Tax By the Kilometer: A New Meaning to “Going Dutch”

16 November 2009

The Dutch are well known for Delft pottery, wooden shoes, legalized prostitution and windmills. Perhaps not surprisingly, many of those things haven’t caught on in all areas of the world (oh c’mon, tell me that you have a pair of wooden shoes in your closet). I have a feeling that list of things that aren’t [...]

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Merkel Wins 2nd Term in Germany, Touts Tax Cuts

28 September 2009

“Lesen Sie es von meinen Lippen ab, keine neuen Steuern.” (translation: Read my lips, no new taxes.) Okay, maybe German Chancellor Angela Merkel didn’t actually say that – but that was the gist of her message when she made a play for a second term. And it worked. With Germany suffering through its own economic [...]

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Chinese Tax Revenues Up: Should We Be Worried?

7 August 2009

If the news that US tax revenues have fallen was disturbing, then this may be even worse: China’s tax revenues are expected to grow by 10% in 2009. The increase comes on the heels of a successful 2008 year in China, where tax revenues climbed 18.8% to 5.42 trillion yuan ($792.68 billion). The “global crisis” [...]

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Oh Yeah?! Well, Your Cheese Stinks!

11 May 2009

Germany, like the US, has been highly critical of countries considered to be tax havens. Mostly, those are countries outside of Europe with financial and banking secrecy laws meant to woo (mostly) westerners with the lure of escaping taxation. There are a few notable exceptions within Europe: Luxembourg, Liechtenstein and Switzerland. All three are small, [...]

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Germany Tired of Holes in Swiss Policy

22 October 2008

Switzerland likes to think of itself as a neutral tax haven. Germany, however, thinks that its much more menacing than that, with Peer Steinbrück, the German finance minister, out and out accusing the Swiss of trolling for tax evaders, saying: Switzerland offers conditions that invite the German taxpayer to evade taxes. Steinbrück went so far [...]

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Liechtenstein Coming Around?

2 March 2008

After vowing not to change its banking system despite a tax scandal spiraling out of control, the principality of Liechstenstein may be changing its mind. Prime Minister Otmar Hasler has reportedly told the Swiss newspaper Neue Zuercher Zeitung that “the reform process has already begun and I support it being continued.” He says that he [...]

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Homes Raided in Massive German Tax Evasion Crackdown

25 February 2008

Last week, hundreds of wealthy Germans had their homes and offices searched in Frankfurt, Munich, Stuttgart, Hamburg and Ulm as German officials crack down on what is perceived as massive tax fraud. The German government believes that as much as €3.4 billion ($5 billion US) have been transferred to Liechtenstein in an attempt to evade [...]

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Germany Taking Big Money Tax Evasion Seriously

23 February 2008

Germany is getting tough on tax evaders hot on the heels of Zumwinkel’s arrest. Much of the money is headed Liechtenstein, a haven for tax evaders because of its strict confidentiality laws. Liechtenstein doesn’t want to cooperate – they cite high German taxes as a reason for the mass exodus of cash. Germany has other [...]

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